Of Painted Faces and Carved Smiles
by PhoenixSongs
Summary: A prince... A water bender... A little fishing village... Face paint... A certain blue mask... What could possibly go wrong? Zutara 4 ever. UP FOR ADOPTION.
1. Publicity Stunts'

'A publicity device, Prince Zuko,' His father's silhouette spoke briefly, he was busy dealing with rebels in the Earth Kingdom, 'the Fire Nation commoners are not completely convinced of your honour - they do not know what you have done for them, we need to the show them how wrong they are.' Zuko nodded, his head still bowed as he awaited whatever task his may be.

'There is a small fishing village to the west; it is floundering because of pollution in it's waters, Fire Nation commoners seem to think it is that fault of the Fire Navy's factory's being there. You will takes teams of healers, builders, as well as food supplies there. You will appear moved by their suffering and pain, help them, tell only a few people of your identity - pretend you are just trying to help undercover; word will spread. In the coming weeks you will go to many villages such as these, your honour will be unquestionable. You leave on a discreet but likeable ship in two hours.' Your clothing is packed. Good luck, My Son.' Zuko had said nothing through the entire episode, but he bowed his head again and swept from the room; his robes fluttering.

Zuko hated ships; he had always hated ships. His years in exile he had been forced onto a coal spitting hunk of metal and it had been torture. Zuko hated the rolling floors, the creaking walls, never being in the same place, having to go from his ship to a smaller ship to rowboat just to get to town if it was a small dock; it was infuriating. But this ship seemed better; it still spewed black smoke in it's wake, the floors still shivered and sloped; but the walls did not creak; and everything was covered with draperies and carpet that showed no sign of the patched steel. It was also very compact - meant to negotiate canals and rivers, very helpful considering this village floated in the centre of a one.

A day of traveling passed, until the short captains surprisingly deep voice cried out; 'Land,' and Zuko's meticulous panning was put into action. Taking a small boat; run by coal but big enough for only few people, he took two healer's, a servant girl with short hair and various crates of food and fresh water; he placed his hood up to cover his scar - although hopefully people would still see it in a cursory glance. He docked the boat himself; tying a long, shining chain to the dilapidated, rotten wood and jumped onto it; the old wood creaked beneath him: the river below - a dirty shade of grey - showing through large cracks and splits in the wood. And he thought that was bad.

Looking around Zuko almost felt the colour and energy and happiness and warmth flow through his fingers; leaving a cold body behind. Everything was smothered in moss and looked eighty or so years old - even the children looked old; a young boy crawled across the ground a short way away, his hair short and thin, even grey in colour, his shirt hung open to show ribs sticking through his skin like a leather bag stretched over it's load. He did not cry, or shout or run like children were meant to, he curled up, alone, in the shade of a withered old hut and stared blankly at his dismal surroundings.

Zuko immediately wished he had brought more supplies, and many more healers. He told The Healers to stay on the boat, until he came back for them, he gathered a large sack stuffed with bread and rice and and walked across the deck of wooden planks that groaned in agony under his weight. He walked over to the little boy first - greatly reminded of the young Earth Kingdom boy he had met on his travels alone - although a shrunken version with the light in his wide dark eyes extinguished. Zuko kneeled beside him, The boy stared at him through heavy eye lids, Zuko placed a large loaf of fresh bread near his face and watched his eyes widen, he gathered it up, cradling it in his arms like a child, his scrawny legs shook as he bowed low, his rotten teeth turned onto a smile as he said thank you,

'Could you do me one favour though?' Zuko asked and the boy nodded immediately - evidently too hungry to wait as he began to tear into the bread,

'Could you gather everyone in the village together, so they can all have food?' The boy nodded, pointed to a gap in two huts, at what seemed to be a village square, wide eyed and happily he stumbled away, clearly with a great purpose, Zuko walked back to the boat, the healers; each carrying bundles and barrels of food in their arms emerged onto the deck with bows and no words. The clang of a bell rang through out the village, the surrounding people looked at it wearily and began to go towards the square the boy had motioned to earlier.

The Boy had motioned that Zuko stand upon a rickety, raised platform, the basins of food to his left and the boy to his right - whose appearance seemed to improved greatly after even such a plain meal. Zuko made sure his hood covered his face and spoke quickly.

'The food should surface for many days - i ask that you are fair in dividing it, and i have brought healers, if they could be taken to your sick…' The boy jumped up in glee waving his arms and pulled the healers away to another hut with no windows,

'How many villagers are there?' He asked, when answered he calculated quickly and said finally 'each villager may take two loaves of bread each - and another loaf for any children they may have, and four cups of rice each, and two cups for each child.' He nodded, leapt of the platform and watched the servant begin to divide the bread and rice equally between the long line of skinny beings. He felt his hood slip and smiled when he heard a girl around the age of ten whisper 'His scar - just like Prince Zuko's is meant to be, you don't think…' before she was gone from earshot. The plan was going well.

**Seriously - Zuko is stalking Katara - in my twisted little mind they seem to meet through every episode. **

**Review! 3**

**xx**


	2. Weeping Rivers and Helping Hands

Appa weaved through the polluted water while Aang laughed merrily somewhere beneath it. Katara looked at her element, the thing that called her and spoke to her, when she listened to the water in this river she heard it groan, moan in pain and cry in agony; it bubbled sluggishly, diseased and horrific. She shook her head, feeling it's pain.

A somewhat eccentric man rowed slowly through the water - obviously the Gang could not arrive in a FireNation village atop a large fluffy monster, coupled with an arrow and tremendous horns. He spouted many folk tales and old proverbs to the children as he did - very few making sense. Katara could not listen to a single one; the water screaming at her, begging her for mercy as the liquid that should have glistened and rippled and flowed was forced to carry on just barely, she tried not to listen but it was not possible, the water wept for her help.

Dressed in Fire Nation clothing Katara, Sokka and Toph stood no chance of recognition, who would associate four teenagers from the colonies with the Avatar and his companions? Especially considering the Avatar was supposed to be dead. But Katara was forever afraid of recognition - even if it was only she that was recognised she would still be punished greatly for her association with Aang, as would Sokka and Toph - and the thought of any of her dear friends being hurt was like torture to her. Katara barely managed to stay upright on the jetty when they reached the village in the centre of the river, the boards so old and worn that they swayed and buckled and creaked, infect the entire village seemed to sway and buckle and creak - as though keeping the small huts and stalls from the river was a great art by some ancient monster, using every effort to just keep the small island afloat.

Katara looked around, distracted from her remorse for the river's pain, her heart filled with dread at what was even worse than the pleas of the river. It was the pleas of the people.

Sokka purchased some fish that Katara scarcely looked at from a small stall, talking with the owner while Katara caught the eye of a young girl, her jet black hair raged and dirty, her face dotted with dust, she eyed the package that Katara had picked up, and Katara obliged with a smile and the gift of one of the grimy and small fish, she bowed and ran towards an equally raged old man that appeared to be her father.

'Sokka, we can't leave just yet.' Katara murmured to her brother as they sat in the hills next to Appa, the village stood in the distance, no light, no songs or happiness emitted from there- just the depressing calls of the water and the memories of the hungry children were buried in her mind. She could not leave having done nothing to help those that were suffering.

'Katara, we can't save every town in trouble - particularly not Fire Nation towns. We have A schedule!' He brandished the long stream of colour coded parchment that he showed of at every opportunity - it was a small piece of parchment that had led to uncountable fights and had been on the receiving end of nine assignation attempts thus far, a long burn at one edge showed that in clarity.

'But they still need help! Fire Nation or not!' Sokka shook his head, placed his hand over his ears childishly and pretended as though she was not still talking. Katara tried to pry his hands from his ears to no avail and gave in. Storming away from camp she huffed angrily and grumbled under her breath. She looked at the village - how many people there were hungry tonight? How many people were sick? How many people did not have the chance to escape the dying village? How many tears had been shed from the illness and hunger and poverty that coursed through the town? And what for? She glared towards the Fire Nation factory that was the cause of the village's misfortune; dirt and oil poured from it every second, the Fire Nation insignia stamped on the metal giant's face, marking it for everything it stood for, narking it with the same treachery and cruelty that everything with that mark had; every ship, every piece of armour.

Except maybe this factory was different to every killing machine dressed in the stamp of fire; because this was a monster that killed it's own people as well as everyone else's. It was poisoning an old town, killing of it's people in the same way as the war killed of every other country's people. If Katara was a different person she would say that this town - this _Fire Nation town, _deserved to suffer, deserved to die and rot like so many other places. But Katara did not think such a thing. Such things were not how she chose to approach subjects. She felt the same sorrow she had felt the moment she had felt the water's tortured screams, and felt the child's hungry eyes on hers. She could not leave a place that needed help more desperately than the Earth needed the Sun, than the people needed food and water, than she needed the water to bend and the moon to empower her and her friends to stand beside her.

No. Katara would not leave a place that needed her help. Not in her life time.

**People - i am really not sure that i am going to continue this story,, just lost faith in it a little… if you want me to continue please review or else i think i'll just forget about it **

**xx**


	3. Wrongs and Rights

Everyone was sleeping; The healers had returned to the ship after doing what they could for the village, the servants that tended to him had been dismissed, the guards to protect him were off duty.

But Zuko was not sleeping.

He lay, wide awake, on his soft bed, the silk sheets gliding around his form, in a comfortable paradise, surrounded by rich smells and decorations fit for the Fire Lord, the Fre Nation insignia gleamed on nearly every surface proudly, but Zuko did lay awake in awe of such splendour.

Zuko lay awake because of the squalor he had seen.

Zuko had looked around that little village; with it's run down huts and mutated food supplies, and he knew full well that a few barrels of food and clear water, and a few days of healers would not fix it.

Zuko knew the problem - it was the river itself, he had heard what it had been like before the Fire Nation factory had moved in, that the water would sparkle and the village was well fed with endless supplies of fish; that the water was so clear you could swim for hours and not catch so much as a cold, Zuko knew he should not be thinking this way but he did.

This was a Fire Nation village - not a Water Tribe village, or an Earth Kingdom town; the Fire Nation was killing it's own people. Surely as a future Fire Lord he was doing the right thing by trying to help beyond the realms of publicity… That's what he swore to himself anyway.

The fact remained implanted in his mind that if the factory was gone these people could go back to helping themselves; it was in the best interests of the Fire Nation - if they were constantly sending aid to villages such as this then they would spend too much, if he could get rid of the factory he could save money for the Fire Nation. It was clearly the smarter ides.

Zuko ran his fingers across the carved eyes of his blue spirit mask… (**Yes i know he threw it into the water but this is fan fiction so no one cares) **

No! He was a Fire Nation prince, he had regained his honour and his value - he should not be entertaining the ideas of such foolish things anymore, he was the Blue Spirit when he had truly needed something, The Avatar or the food to keep him and his uncle alive, or… was that selfish? That he would only risk being exposed as the Blue Spirit when it was to his benefit? Yes - Zuko knew it was selfish, he knew that a great Fire Lord should be willing to do anything for his subjects, for his nation, although maybe he was not speaking as Prince Zuko anymore… Maybe he was just Zuko - the boy that had traveled the world without anyone guiding him, who had fought and struggled and gone hungry, who had sacrificed his own hunger for a couple because his own moral compass had told him not to.

Zuko sighed in frustration - why was such a decision so difficult? He wished he could simply send a messenger hawk to his father asking for the factory to be shut down - but that would not work, his father would never sacrifice his factories for one village, one factory could mean losing a nation or winning it, he had allays used to say… Zuko shook his head - wondering vaguely if that meant his father had the wrong ideas about his country -

No! Fire Lord Ozai was great, his powers are innumerable, his greatness indisputable, one could not question his choices - and certainly not his own son, Zuko pinched the bridge of his nose. Certain that he should just continue with the plan, just let the rumours spread and do exactly as his father wished.

Except Zuko rarely did what he was meant to.

His own face was proof of that…

Zuko leapt up with a flash of sheets, snatching a black cloak up fastening the mask to his face - very certain he was making the stupidest decision for… at least a few months.

**Review please!**

**xx**


	4. Into the Factory of Fire

The doors to the factory were strange, they seemed to require Fire Bending to open, and while it was not exactly difficult to skirt this issue by tearing it to pieces Katara wanted to leave no evidence behind her.

Instead, under cover of the darkness and her cloak she decided upon a less obvious approach; a tongue of water curled from the river, muddy and sludgy but still workable, it picked her up as she bent her arms and lifted her high into the face of the factory. She let it fall as she balanced precariously on a pipe curling from it's sharp metal walls, but her prowess as a Water Bender had gained her many talents - including that of stance and balance. With barley a sound she skittered across until she reached the side of the factory, placing a hand against the hot, greasy metal she felt the throb of machinery beneath her palms. Their pollution of the rivers did not stop as the day ended, then.

From her perch on the piping she looked around it, no windows, no tiles she could move and replace, it looked as though she might have to break the lock after all.

Until she spotted something she couldn't see.

As she thought over the few options of entry she had she was disgruntled by how much of compound was cloaked in smoke, Aang would have no problem with this, he could bend the air around him and the smoke would be gone instantly… But Aang didn't know what she was doing. she shook her head and then it hit her.

Smoke didn't just appear. The smoke came from machines. But the machines were in the factory. And the smoke had to have a way to leave the factory.

The chimney.

She tightened the straps on her carnival mask, tightening it over her face so it would not slip as it was not good quality, and formed herself rows upon rows of steps lading towards the roof - the factory seemed to be built more like a large cube than a house, it's roof flat - and leapt nimbly from one icy foothold to the next - slipping a few times and nearly falling - a fear that increased to almost hysteria when she almost reached the top - had anyone been down there they would have been like spider-ants.

Minutes passed, and Katara found herself worrying about getting out - she fully intended to… not steal… Katara told herself… Acquire, and anyway - what she intended to steal was the villagers first - she was just getting it back for them because they were too afraid to do so. But Katara was unsure of how she would carry barrels and crates out of the factory, especially if she intended to get in through a chimney. She shook her head - she could think of that later.

the closer she came to the top the harder she found it to see; the smoke was so black and thick it blotted out the moon and stars and any light that could have guided her; she was especially carful where she put her feet now that she could not see them, she even had to take her mask of to stop her from ruining it with her watering eyes. Storing it under her cloak she summonsed the water from far below, forming abubble stuffed with clean air and the sphere circled her face, she still could't see; but the smoke did not throttle her lungs or tear her eyes, and that was better at least.

Wandering fairly aimlessly through the fog she eventually found what she was looking for; the chimney was large, she would fit down there easily - although she did worry about how deep it was, she could not simply drop without breaking both her legs and possibly her neck - certifiably destroying her cover - instead she listened for the familiar push and pull she forever felt from the river, summonsed a long stream of i had that encase her body too, she sat in her water suit, adoring the feeling of cool strength around her, crept to the edge of chimney, swung her legs across it's mouth, and let her self drop.

She would have screamed in both fear and exhilaration, if not for the fact she was more afraid of the guards than of a fall, but she had to combat this fear within barely seconds, Water Bending her suit to stop in exact midair, she could see nothing - the black smoke seemed a solid now, like water… she hated to think, like she was encased in a river of black all around that nothing could penetrate. her suit receded from her feet, leaving those bare to a wild heat, and the suit gained a dozen arms from it; freezing against the sides of the metal and keeping her - encased in her bubble - stationary.

With utter control, trying to concentrate rather than be proud of her own thinking - she made the ice loosen a little and felt her self begin to slide down slowly, with a wicked grin she wondered about the concept of idea able to use her Water Bending to fly - but scolded herself for lack of attention.

The water around her seemed on the point of boiling and she took that as an assumption that she was close, she slowed down a little more, listening and hearing the aching thuds of machinery.

And then her feet touched fire, pure, intense, burring, _fire. _

**Please review - or i swear she will die in this fire! **

**You have been warned. **

**xx**


	5. Mask to Mask

Zuko was in the factory with no problem - the lock was a simple one that required fire bending; he just expelled the heat in his heart through his hand and the door swung open, he smiled behind his mask; too easy.

There was a splash behind him and he turned; melting into the shadows as he did. There was no one there; just rippling water that he put down to one of the mutated creatures that lived in the river - after all, he had seen a two headed fish today. Shutting the door behind him he thought back to a meeting with father a week or so ago - a factory that was being built in the Earth kingdom colonies, the same type of factory, all factories were different but this factories design seemed similar to the blueprints of the factory he had seen.

He stepped nimbly up a ladder and past a set of boilers on this higher levels; reaching the centre of the factory quickly; a furnace roughly the size of the entire village stood there, he was surprised to find that the fire continued to burn even though doing so had no purpose; rather that the metals and coal it was meant to be used for it chugged out furls of acrid smoke, just burning the remnants of what was left in the bottom, the smoke wound it's way up half a dozen chimneys that curled grotesquely up, shaking his head he turned; feeling the heat of the fire on his back, and looked around the maze of metal, obviously there were no helpful signs to lead the way to the factory storage rooms, and he would have to choose his way quickly, he calculated he would probably need to find it before and hour had passed or he would leave the factory after the sun rose.

He chose the first corridor on his right - a few steps away he stopped, his echoes seemed to silence in his honour as he strained his ears;

'_cough' _that was it - just a low, far away cough, but somehow that seemed to reverberate through the walls of the factories and through him - he could not be found here - _he could not be found here! _If he was found it would be back to square one; banishment yet agin, although no uncle this time - and less chance of redemption considering the Avatar was believed to be dead! Zuko's head seemed to nearly explode in that second, his future rolled before him and all his paths seemed to eradicate because of his stupidity.

Wait - A Cough?

Zuko's mind queried, and it had been to very close but so very muffled, where did the cough come from? His curiosity overpowered his worries, he pulled his twin swords from the scabbard at his back and held them close, prepared to cut down anything that came near.

The cough was followed by another, then a small thud.

In the metal room that echoed every breath it was difficult, the sound just seemed to resinate in the air.

'Oh yes, good idea, great plan, go down a narrow, smoky tube - that won't get you killed.' a voice huffed; sounding sulky and furious, but it was barley there, as though the voice just whispered it to himself

Narrow smokey tube? it looked as though he was not the only one sneaking into the factory - he looked at the twisting chimneys, no one could fit down there. they would have to be an uncommonly skinny man if they could sneak down there - and even if they did they would kill themselves, the largest led straight into the pit of glowing flames and was a straight drop - lose your footing on the sides of that tube and you'd fall straight down, break you legs, neck, arms, the fire would be the least of your worries.

Zuko wondered if he imagined the voice.

He turned, his arms lagged at his sides, about to forget it and walk down the way he had chosen, looked at the chimney one more time.

Zuko shook his head and turned around, smiling at his idiocy. No one could get down there. _no one could get down there. _But even as he told himself that he saw the impossible.

There was a slight crash, a squeak of pain that was held in, and the hatch in the side of the furnace swung open, a figure leaping out of the flames like it was perfectly normal. A spurt of water following behind like an accomplice.

Zuko smirked - he had never had such an inventive dream before.

The figure, with it's dark cloak and shadowed face stood, straightening it's cloak, Zuko had to admire the continuity of his dream - the shadow did look small enough to fit down the chimney - it doused a bloody flame on it's shoulder with a twist of water that separated from the bubble that hung happily in the air.

'Bloody Fire benders.' it huffed, it's voice low and filled with malice as the water in it's palms glowed a shining glittering blue, and the burns across it's body melted with a touch of the intense water.

In the dark he saw no features, she stood away from the flickering lights of the furnace's flame - no colour, nothing that could identify who he was dreaming of, he could only go by what the glow illuminated, but everything the figure did seemed oddly familiar…

Zuko shook of his fantasy as he watched the figure straighten the mask at it's face, and turn without cause into the fire's light - a tacky fairground one but also one that showed him a great nugget of information;

The mask was for a woman.

With pale skin, painted eyes and heart shaped lips the mask seemed to glow in the embers of the fire that tumbled across her too vaguely, the shadows casted in definition her body; delicious curves that showed through her black attire, she was young, or short, but she stood with a confidence he saw in few… he assumed she was a teenager by her height and… features…

He could not dream such perfection - except in one woman he had met long ago: a twisted thought in his mind whispered it could be the same; but Katara had not snuck around Fire Nation factories in disguise. Her honour made her painfully honest and this seemed too… sneaky for the Water Bender he had met long ago. no - just his own imagination wrapped the cloaked girl in invented traits.

Zuko emerged from the shadows, his smile matched that of his mask's, she was a Water Bender, and she was not allowed here either by her mode of entrance.

**What do we think? Seriously considering giving this sorry up, don't like to have things hanging over my head, **

**Please tell me what you think!**

**xx**


	6. The Alliance of Steel and Ice

An alliance between two such opposites would never come easily.

However it was not their differences that drew them apart, but their similarities that pushed them to work together.

Of course such a realisation was not made immediately; their first alliance was begun with the sharp slashes of steel and tongues of flame against searing ice and rippling water that lasted longer than either knew.

It was as Katara, weakened by a slice to her upper arm, that had suggested the alliance - forever the peace maker, always desperate to make things better no matter what the consequence may mean to her. Of course, Katara believed that he only allowed her to speak because he desperately did not want to decapitate the young girl he had pinned to the wall.

'Perhaps a respite to speak of the reasoning behind our appearances here?' Katara said, immensely politely, worried of offending the young man's who's sword created the vaguest trickle of blood at her neck.

The blue masked man considered.

With a sound like rustling paper he sheathed his duel swords and took a step back, allowing her to speak.

Katara chose her words carefully, planing on the same politeness and failing as curiosity overwhelmed her.

'So why the hell did a Fire bender break into a Fire Nation factory?' She almost cursed when the words left her lips - scared of feeling the slice of cool steel upon her person.

'Do not assume to think i am any form of deserter; the Fire Nation is great, but The Fire Lord does not seem to realise what he is doing to his own people here, i came to try and run this factory away from the river so that the village may live.' his words; like satin yet somehow muted and rough came swiftly, 'And you, Water bender?'

'I am no fan of the Fire Nation, you can be most certain of that, but i cannot stand to see any one in pain, in hunger, or in illness, even if they are my enemy. But tell me, that mask; i am certain to have seen posters pertaining it to belong to the notorious blue spirit, is that not you?'

'No,' his voice became pained for reasons that Katara could not understand. 'i am not the blue spirit.'

'Well,' Katara considered her words, 'as different as our reasoning, we appear to have the same goal. Perhaps it would be beneficial to work together to achieve our aims.' The blue spirit considered for longer this time.

'Indeed, i believe so. I suggest we stick with alias's to avoid persecution should one of us be caught.'

'Then, as a fierce purveyor of the spirit lands, i suppose i shall take the name of Painted Lady.' The blue mask man tilted his head in question.

'A river spirit meant to watch over this village, beautiful and powerful she wore face paint, should i have to travel to the village i shall dress as her to further my disguise.'

'Then, i shall be known as the Blue Spirit, i may not be the notorious villain but i am certain this mask was similar to his.'

'Awesome, come on then Blue we don't have all night,' her common and friendly words slipped out, losing all vestige of politeness, she cursed herself again, wishing she could have kept up those barriers of trivial perfection she had exuded earlier.

'If i might just than Agni i no longer have to talk like my uncle then lets go,' he chuckled and Katara grinned behind her mask.

'i was trying to sound professional.' She said through giggles.

'Well now you've gone and failed.' he laughed again,

'So what are we stealing today?' he unsheathed his swords as Katara gathered the surrounding g water to encase her arms as a rippling defines mechanism.

'I say food, let's find the store rooms.' He set of down a dark corridor and she followed behind him.

'And can we make an agreement not to kill anyone tonight?'

**This has a really different style but i kind of wanted to promote the fact hat they are teenagers but have to act a lot older sometimes. **

**Zuko WAS the Blue Spirit but he doesn't want to be called that because the Blue Sprit betrayed the Fire Nation. **

**Sorry it's been so long,, hope it was worth the wait i've just been to bust with school XP**

**xx**


	7. Why's and Way's

If Father could see him now…

Zuko snorted at the thought, resulting in the masked Water bender to drop into a fighting stance quicker than a blink even at such a miniature sound.

He held up his palms to make he steady her weapons; an ice dagger clenched between a pair of black gloved hands.

A small groan/growl came from her and she motioned towards the many boxes that they needed to remove from the small store room.

He smirked, resisted the urge to laugh at her exasperation at having missed less than thirty seconds in his daydreams. Although it was quite amazing how much she had managed to do in those thirty seconds; the boxes they had decided to take were laid on platform of crystal ice hovering a few inches above the ground.

She glared at him with shadowy eyes who's colour he could not determine as she inspected the cracked ice that had resulted from her loss of concentration at his sound.

He smirked again at her similarity to another Water Bender he had known long ago.

His smile slipped to guilt as it always did when he thought of _her. _

Her face as he had so openly betrayed her, her sparkling eyes as tears had cascaded in rivers down her cheeks in heartbreak, the grace of the fight she forever held inside her, the warmth she forever seemed to posses whenever he had the pleasure of being close to her -

_Stop. _

That kind of thinking would, not only get you exiled again but if she knew she would most likely enjoy freezing certain extremities. He grinned again at the though as he unsheathed his swords once more, checking the corridor for guards before the many floating barrels followed behind him.

And as he strode boldly past a Fire Nation insignia upon the wall the question in his mind surfaced once more;

_Why are you doing this? _

Father would most likely take pleasure in turning your scar into a mere blemish amongst the damage he would inflict this time around, Azula would smile that same satanic grin that she had worn last time… her fists curled in anticipation… her golden eyes flashing and begging Agni to make sure it hurt him.

Did he honestly care what his father thought anymore though?

For years all he had wished for was to be loved by the people that should have loved him no matter what.

Father's were meant to love their sons despite all imperfections, Zuko had seen that in the last long year; both at sea with the uncle that had bestowed this kindness so easily and without hesitation, and whilst travelling in the flesh, the simple embrace that an ageing soldier had bestowed on a toothless child, such a simple gesture but one he had never received.

Zuko had been so certain that, with the Avatar in tow he would be loved by the Father he idealised his entire life. And yet; now he was home; in honour and riches and greatness, with a court of people that loved him for his power and prowess as a killer…

He knew full well it was fake.

Zuko and the Painted Lady ducked from the sight of a sleepy and very bored night watchman, barley avoiding being seen as Zuko yanked her from the hallway down into one that was smaller and more cramped… He tried to ignore the warmth that she gave of… of the fact that a tendril of dark hair escaped and curled around her ears… When the guard was gone the spell was broken and both returned to their silent brooding. **(had to put a little Zutara in here somewhere!)**

The bowing was no sign of respect to him; people still whispered that he was just the child that could not even fight an Agni Kai, The bowing was just to hide their smirks from his eyes because they were too afraid to face up to him now.

And father… Zuko did not know how his Father felt about him.

He knew it was almost defiantly not love; Uncle had loved him, and as much as he had ignored it and mocked it and shouted at Uncle, he had loved Uncle too. He knew what the love between Father and Son was meant to feel like.

And Zuko felt none of that for Fire Lord Ozai.

Zuko shook his head again; flinging open a set of iron doors and revealing the moonlight, allowing some sustenance into the dead factory. Followed swiftly by the girl that somehow - without even showing her face - made the moon pale in comparison.

**Hope you like it!**

**people - i know there is like… no action and it's just angst right now, but i can't do action or else someone will know what's going on, therefore destroying the plot! they are subtle; ninja's rather than an invading force of tanks and flame throwers. **

**REVIEW. **

**xx**


	8. Kisses

**Since i'm such a lovely person i decide that this is just a little ending - it's not how i wanted it to end but i could't just leave the people reading this with nothing as it looks like no one wants to adopt it,, please no flames,, **

It happened when they were so close to freedom they could have tasted it.

The two shadows moved in synchronisation - one carting crates along upon platforms of ice that hovered in the air, the other checking the coast with swords flashing in the light.

And then there was an almighty bang and a spurt of orange flame and the hallway was alight, with a flick of water and the slash of steel the two were fighting the crowd of dark warriors that set ablaze the hallway.

Of course, a few puny Fire Benders were no match for a master Water Bender with a point to prove and a prince that was desperate not to be revealed.

They were down in minutes, the boxes of food perhaps just slightly singed. With renewed fervour they hurried through the final hallways and relished in the pink strewn sky that paved their way to freedom.

With an almighty wave the crates were deposited on the villages deck, and neither had to move from their position on the bank, their faces aimed away from each other.

'So…' Katara began,

'Well done Painted Lady,' Zuko smirked behind his mask,

'Or would you prefer i call you Katara?' His voice was soft and warm, not mocking like it might have been once before, but happy as well.

'How did you know it was me Zuko?' Katara replied with a sigh, she had hoped to keep her identity a secret. She took a step closer as her hand reached towards his mask, he nodded and she pulled it of, revealing the inky hair and pale skin and pure golden eyes, her eyes did not care about the scar which she knew he despised, but instead adored what the scar symbolised. She traced it gently, her soft fingers cool on the rigid skin.

His own hands swept to her cloak and pulled the hood down, revealing soft waves of chocolate, and then sparkling blue set in a tanned face, and lips that held a small smile, when he pulled her own mask away.

'I've never seen a Water Bender with such fire.' He smiled while he ran his fingertips across her lips.

'You betrayed us.' Both hands stilled.

'I know.' His voice rang with sadness and humiliation. His hand dropped from her face but hers stayed resting his cheek.

'Is he okay? I know how much you care about him.'

'He is fine.'

'Katara i'm -'

'Please don't. Just… I know, and i forgive you. And i know why you did it, i have a terrible feeling i may have done the same thing.'

'Will you be here tomorrow?' Her voice was a soft whisper, insecurity a low note bit still certainly there.

'Definitely.' her hand dropped and she leaned onto her tiptoes, placing a gentle kiss on the corner of his smooth lips.

'I'll see you tomorrow night then.' With a smile she turned and walked away.

**xx**


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